CCC begins, D.C. United Saudi tour continues, and more: Wednesday Freedom Kicks
Hello and happy Wednesday to all. I am feeling ever so boring today, so straight to the kicks!
D.C. United 1 – 3 Al Hilal SC: D.C. United continues its preseason in Saudi Arabia where they faced off against Al Hilal (the Sudanese one, not the Saudi one). Jackson Hopkins scored a goal in their 1-3 defeat.
Concacaf Champions Cup preview: Club America win? Miami woe? (ESPN): The 2024 CCC began last evening. I write this prior to kickoff, so… how did it go? The first MLS team to see action is Vancouver, facing off against Tigres tonight at 10 PM.
Rodman: Washington Spirit pre-match photos ‘100 percent’ still happening (Pro Soccer Wire): I like fun. Trinity Rodman likes fun. Fun looks to remain on the menu.
Lionel Messi gives injury update before Inter Miami vs. Vissel Kobe (MLS): *Insert common sense comment here*
CF Montréal sign iconic striker Josef Martínez (MLS): I hope he likes snow. I know his prior places of employment weren’t accustomed to it.
D.C. United Re-Sign Professional eMLS and eSports Player Mohamed “KingCJ0” Alioune Diop (D.C. United): The eSports scene sees continued consistency from D.C. United, re-signing KingCJ0.
How Blackburn Rovers’ Duncan McGuire deal fell apart twice (The Athletic): This whole scene blows Lucho’s failed PSG move out of the water. I feel for Duncan McGuire in this situation.
That’s all from me this morning. Shoot your own kicks in the comments below!
Wow talk about incompetence at Blackburn…
I wonder if that is the truth it’s so lame. I am in the AARP and understand computer challenges (try my recent Tax preparing for my CPA, uploading pdfs is a struggle sometimes…sign). BUT REALLY?
Speaking computer misfires, the company that synched DCU calendar last year went belly up. Their (the company, not DCU) ghost server however started trying to communicate with my phone every time I did anything and fired an pop-up. It took me and Apple 3 hours to clean it out. Is there a NEW way to upload the 2024 schedule? I am prepared to do it by hand.
It may be lame — and I may be…lame, but the reverse happened to me 2 weeks ago. Maryland General Assembly has this asinine system to sign up to be a witness and/or submit written testimony for committee hearings (maybe better than the old days when you had to hand-deliver your testimony and sign up in person the day before, but still not exactly solicitous of public input). Anyway, you can only sign up when there’s a live sign-up link for that hearing — 1 (business) day before in the Senate, and 2 (business) days before in the House. It’s hard to find out how to do this and also hard to get the system to work so you can find the live links, but even if you do….
I wanted to testify on 3 related bills being heard in a Senate hearing. The sign-up cuts off at 6:00 pm. I was writing my various testimonies, and then clicking in the right box for each bill I was interested in — to get the menu of options — I wanted to to do both oral and written. And when I finished each piece, then saving it as .pdf and clicking the red upload file buttons. I stopped and saved the last one at 5:58. Then went into my browser and hit the upload file button, somewhat confident I’d beaten the deadline.
I thought I was done, but heard from the Senator soon after that I was not on the list. So I stared at the page, wondering if maybe there was a “Save” or “Submit” button I’d missed. Scrolled to the bottom — nothing. Then scrolled to the very top, and there was the “Save” button. Too late to get on the witness list.
Now, in my defense — in contrast to the Blackburn thing where there was no good reason for not doing it days earlier — there’s only a 10 hour window to sign up…and other things to do before 5:00…
Gosh, I am sorry that happened.
Thanks….
There is no indication of whether they are home or away matches, but my DCU rep sent me this calendar. https://ics.fixtur.es/v2/dc-united.ics
So a Facebook memory popped up today. 10 years ago we signed Christian Fernandez Salas, formerly of La Liga’s UD Almeria. He was a left back, but then wanted to go back to Spain and so he was gone by summer.
He went by just Christian, if I recall. And now we have a Christian, a Cristian, and a Kristian.
Yup he went by Christian.
I remember seeing him hit a beautiful cross-field ball from about 40 or so yards out, at the Carolina Challenge Cup (preseason tournament the Chas Battery used to host). It was picture perfect, but I can’t remember who volleyed it home. I liked him as a player and was sad he didn’t stick around.
I think he got really homesick for Spain (or perhaps was really unhappy with the set up in DC).
Homesick. That was the scoop….
anyone else very confused about where Hopkins hit that shot from. It looks like he’s coming inside from the right, but somehow hits a right footed shot into the right side of the netting. Anyway, glad he scored
I think he got a right side of foot knuckle-curve to the right. I hope he returns to his rookie promising form. I was puzzled by last year, mostly because my eye-test is ALWAYS right…..
;^)
First, I’ve already voiced my thoughts on Horan. I respect her and her game, but she’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And I actually think she’s a bad captain. She’s a fighter, but I don’t think she’s a good voice for the team. And this is evidenced by her reaction to fun selfies. NWSL is still trying to sell the league and bring in fans. And if posing for goofy team pre-game photos or doing a selfie with a fan on the sidelines pre or post-game is the “cost” of that, so be it.
Second, utter incompetence by Blackburn. What idiots. And it’s not just failing to submit the paperwork. Ugh.
Third, nice goal by Jackson Hopkins. He needs to get his game back and take a couple of steps up. I wonder if we’ll hear anything from DCU about the last pre-season match?
Agreed on your thoughts about Horan. She’s a very old-fashioned Roy Kean-esque captain and that works for some people and doesn’t work for others. I can understand her frustration with her teammates seeing as the US women’s program was the top dog and has been unseated in less than 1 World Cup cycle, in my opinion. I’m sure she’s used to success and wants her teammates to take things as seriously as she does.
On the other hand, different players have different approaches to games. It doesn’t mean they don’t care, it’s just how they go about preparing for matches. Listening in on a few of her film sessions, Howe seems like a manager that will be able to toe the line nicely between getting the buttoning things up when the players are slacking and letting the girls have fun when they need to.
Throwing USWNT fans under the bus was not satisfying to me. I wish her well, but that really rubbed me the wrong way. Of course, she is more than welcome to be her. She is a fine player (and it’s not the like the USWNT isn’t full of personalities).
In the CCC, Monterrey won 4-1 at Communicaciones. I saw some of that one, looked like a relatively easy/professional display for Monterrey. Brandon Vasquez looked ok, but didn’t factor into the goals.
In the late match, Real Esteli upset Club America, 2-1, with America’s goal coming in second half stoppage. I’d love to describe how frantic that part of the match was, but I was watching through the backs of my eyelids…the first half was great upset action, though, with Esteli capitalizing on a relatively unlucky handball penalty (definitely a good call, but the defender wasn’t more than a yard or two away from the cross being put in, and it hit his hand). America had chances, but couldn’t convert, and got increasingly frustrated. Typical (and fun!) giant-killing kind of match. Loved every bit I was awake for. But of course, as the years go by, being able to stay up for these matches and be functional enough to get the kid off to the bus stop by 6:30 am the next morning is getting harder and harder…
I did see the last minutes. I turned it on at the 80th minute. There was a decent amount of frantic stuff. Zendejas put a good chance wide. The keeper made some nice saves, including on the play that produced America’s goal, with Quinones running onto the rebound.
That away goal feels important as I doubt the Nicaraguan side will threaten much on the return leg. Then again, I expect America to win the tie going away, probably scoring 3 or more goals in the Azteca..
Reposting a comment I posted in yesterday’s kicks late-ish last night and so y’all probably missed it… I thought it might make the links but it didn’t and it’s worth talking about…
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Some have wondered about MLS’ plan for MLS NEXT Pro as they have been inviting non-MLS clubs to join. Is it meant to usurp USL? Or something else? Here’s something else, I think — a pathway to capture promising young players who might otherwise escape MLS’ clutches…
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MLS is creating something called an MLS NEXT Development Grant. The idea is to give non-MLS clubs who are in MLS NEXT Pro some money for developing players who go on to MLS Academies and eventually more money if they go on to MLS first team clubs. I guess this is in lieu of the “solidarity payments” which academy programs in other countries get for developing players who move up the food chain to bigger sides.
One thing I’ll note is that if the non-MLS clubs have any confidence in the MLS Academies, this could help a club like DC United break through the problem they’ve been up against with so many of the best area players going through Bethesda, Baltimore or Virginia club programs. This will provide an incentive for those clubs to facilitate a move to DC United’s Academy — or even to DC United’s MLS Next Pro club, if DCU ever get around to launching that.
Meanwhile, the league is awarding 10 “retroactive” Development Grants. One of the 10 is going to Bethesda SC for developing Kristian Fletcher. So congrats to all involved. Not a fortune, but it can’t hurt.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/mlsnext/news/mls-next-development-grant-program-what-to-know-how-it-works
DCU should have academies in each of the DMV because the commutes are as big of an issue as anything else. Make an All-Star team when you have too. Play each other etc. Rotate staff to keep it cohesive.
I have been posting about that idea for years. While they have to play together as a team in games, on a daily basis the team should have AT LEAST 3 training bases. NoVA, Montgomery County, and a Baltimore/Columbia area set-up.
If there’s an MLS NEXT team in Baltimore, it will be easy enough to set up an Academy affiliate there — but maybe DCU can create partnerships with Baltimore Armour and Baltimore Celtic to feed players to DCU in their senior years?
Of course, Loudoun could serve as a base for a Virginia set-up.
The biggest challenge would be to set up something in Montgomery County to attract kids from MoCo and maybe nearby PG — especially when Bethesda SC exists and even Olney still has a strong travel program.
DC base would be nice — and easy to manage, but I wonder if there are enough prospects in the city to warrant creating a set-up. Then again, maybe that’s exactly what’s needed? There’s no certainly no shortage of top-level athletes in DC. Just need to make soccer players out of them.
I would guess that traffic is a pretty big impediment for some parents in considering where they sign their kid up for club football. If that’s true, DC United have missed out on some great prospects because they didn’t invest in local set-ups for training and practice.
Big changes for the WNT, possibly. Morgan, Sauerbrunn and Sullivan are among the veterans not even invited to train with the Gold Cup squad. Neither was Sanchez. We’ve still got some Spirit repping with Rodman and Krueger.
Sullivan and Sanchez are knowns. I woundn’t count them out long-term. The others are, no insult, past prime for the next world cup. This is about getting prepped for that with the Olympics as a stepping stone on the way.